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Alumni Association founder Hinton passes away at 78

Former big leaguer and Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association founder Chuck Hinton has passed away at 78.

Hinton, who was the last player for the Washington Senators to hit .300, was also the former head baseball coach at Howard University.

"We will forever be grateful not only for Chuck's stewardship in establishing MLBPAA as an organization for the former player, but in doing so the future advancement of the game of baseball," said MLBPAA chairman and former teammate James Hannan.

"Even though Chuck left his duties with the MLBPAA years ago, he remained a part of the organization through his dedication to the integrity, quality and service of the game of baseball, which remain in place today. We will always appreciate his vision and contributions. On behalf of everyone at MLBPAA, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the Hinton family."

Hinton spent his 11 years in the big leagues with the Senators (1961-'64), Indians ('65-'67, '69-71), and Angels ('68). The North Carolina native's speed and power made him one of the stars on a struggling Senators team that lost at least 100 games in each of his four years with the club.

Hinton was selected to the American League All-Star team in 1964 and had his No. 32 uniform honored in the Washington Wall of Stars. Hinton owned a career .264/.332/.412 line with 113 homers and 443s RBIs.

Gary Cotton is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.